The SIGN of the CROSS

The Sign of the CROSS  Ash Wednesday  the beginning of PASCHA  The Preparation Season  commonly known as Lent  .

"The local church’s action is a witness of the 'New Evangelization' in which Pope Francis calls on Christians to proclaim peace in and for the world," says the pastor of St. Mark Catholic Church in Richmond, Kentucky.

From: Vision Vocation Network.org 

 Chritians are being persecuted

 in Iraq ( and elsewhere).

The  Christian sign is represented by the Arabic alphabet character for the letter “N.” 

The “N” stands for Nazarene and was first used by militants to identify property owned by Christians violently forced to leave Mosul, Iraq. Perhaps you have seen the symbol replacing friends Facebook profile pictures throughout the summer?

One of the more impressive signs of solidarity has come from St. Mark Catholic Church in Richmond, Kentucky, which has painted their West Main Street door with this Arabic symbol.

Father James Sichko, pastor of St. Mark, told the Richmond Register: “We are all Iraqi Christians. As Catholic Christians, the members of St. Mark stand together in defiance of genocide, of persecution, of hate and the slaughter of Christians anywhere.” 

Let these images and symbols continue to be a reminder ...

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Now is My+ Soul troubled,

 and what shall I+ say, 

"FATHER, save ME+ from this hour?"

But for this cause came I+ unto this hour; 

FATHER, glorify Thy Name...

Meditation: 

   As we come face to face with the activities of those haters of CHRIST JESUS Our LORD, let us identify with our persecuted brothers and sisters.  

In  order to do that, we must FIRST identify with

 Our LORD and SAVIOR, Who+ was persecuted by the haters of GOD ... and Who+ still is. 

The haters of GOD, YHWH, the HOLY ONE of Israel, cannot "touch" Our LORD JESUS now, in the flesh. So, they are directed by demons to attack those who carry His+ Name.

During this PASCHA  season, let us bear the reproaches of them who reproached Our Lord, and suffer along with HIM+. 

Let us suffer along with our persecuted brethren across this dead and dying world. 

We will suffer  ...  if we stand for righteousness. 

Prepare your hearts to do so. 

     

Let us pray: 

O HOLY ONE+ of Israel,  we thank THEE+ for coming for "this" hour,  the hour of Thy+  Death. Help us to show our love for THEE+ by picking up our Cross, our "N" , and dying to Self for Thy+ Name's sake. 

Bless our efforts in this and keep us ever mindful of the dear ones who have already paid the price for following THEE+, and grant them sweet rest at Thy+ FATHER'S throne. 

In the Name of Our Suffering SAVIOR, The LORD JESUS CHRIST, we pray. 

Amen

John 12:26-28 ( Courtesy of Biblegateway.com)

²⁶ If any man serve ME+  let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

²⁷ Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

²⁸ Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.




*  The "mark" that looks like a dotted U on the door of the church is the Arabic letter that = N in English. It stands for "Nazarene" , which is what they call Christians in Arab lands. 

DISCIPLESHIP: The Forgotten Discipline

 A Timely Word from Bro. Brendon Patrick....

IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE

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The organized church as a whole has walked away from discipleship.

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The plain words of CHRIST are ignored and people are taught that if they attempt to actually do what JESUS taught,...  to actually live the way HE+ taught ... they are legalistic and are in "bondage".

On the other hand, the organized "church" will teach that you are under"grace" and can ignore the teachings of JESUS as relating to real life! 

That's right. 

You can ignore the plain teachings and commandments of the ONE+ Who+ saved you by Grace with HIS+ own Body and Blood!

Untrue of course.

JESUS our LORD did all of HIS+ part. HE+ will not do our part for us. 

HE+ will not be HIS+ own Disciple for us. 

HE+ will, however, give us Divine help in every way in the Power of the Holy Spirit to really follow HIM+ and be Disciples in the Way HE+ has taught us.

JESUS plainly said, "If anyone will follow ME+, he MUST deny himself, take up his cross and follow ME+." 

This is NOT taught in the modern churches ... and that is an understatement, at best.

     The Power of the Eternal SPIRIT of GOD was evident in the ancient Church in all Followers of JESUS, both in their daily lifestyle and in the Supernatural Gifts and working of that same Holy SPIRIT. 

The things that JESUS did, they did. 

This was SO evident to those around them that the pagans were the first ones who referred to them as "Christians" ... because they were so much like CHRIST.

HIS+ SPIRIT was in them reproducing CHRIST.

The necessity of discipleship for EVERY follower of CHRIST has been removed from the modern church and has left it floundering, focusing mainly on theological systems that were formulated 1,500 years or more after The SON+ of GOD delivered the Gospel of Life to the world.

This modern church, this religious system, does not even resemble the original church, of course. We have the same Gospels, the same Apostles’ writings, and the same Prophetic writings that the ancient Pre-Nicene church had, but our "battery" is dead, so to speak. 

 It has been drained with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches.

We must HAVE OUR BATTERY

CHARGED and RECONNECTED

TO THE POWER SOURCE

THROUGH OBEDIENCE

and  SANCTIFICATION of LIFE.

We must learn to YIELD to CHRIST so that the Strength and Power of the HOLY SPIRIT can flow through us as it did through the ancient Christians.

Yes! Unclean spiritual forces do manifest themselves in religious systems and in their adherents’ lives. They have given themselves over to those spirits and agreed that satan’s lies are “truth” ! 

These same unclean spirits came at JESUS, accusing HIM+, threatening, challenging. These unclean spirits have not gone anywhere. They watch for gullible humans to control and inhabit.

As we can see, whole "churches" can be built on the foundation  of demonic teaching and control.

QUESTION:  Are we ready to do as JESUS taught and deny ourselves, pick up our Cross, and yield ourselves TOTALLY to HIM+ so that we will be equipped and prepared to stand against the reality of unclean spirits confronting and challenging The Body of CHRIST on this earth?

Believe me, it is going to get worse,

much worse, than what we now see.

Scripture teaches that JESUS will Baptize us --- immerse us ---  into the HOLY SPIRIT and FIRE.

 I can tell you that we ARE GOING TO NEED THAT!

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Heavenly FATHER, please help us to walk before you as your Beloved SON+ has taught us to walk and to forsake the false teachings of men.

Help us to OVERCOME all things,

in JESUS' Name we ask.

REDEEMING the TIME... In Season and Out

+  +  + A Personal Note to Fellow Christians... 

Courtesy of BiblePictures.NET

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CHRISTMAS is not celebrated, as is done in Western Civilization, in The Holy Scriptures. There is no feasting, gift-giving, and other celebrations recorded about the BIRTH of CHRIST JESUS. 

So... what SHOULD we be doing ? 

Although many Christians no longer keep Christmas, we have noticed one thing: 

the worldlings do !

 

We have gone for decades avoiding the Christmas traditions we all were raised with, much to the consternation of our families and some of our Christian friends.  

However, every pagan, heathen, and “good” citizen in our community  --- including the public school children ---  all celebrate Christmas Day with as much festivity as they can find and many, alas, beyond what they can afford.

Scripture instructs us:  “ Walk circumspectly, redeeming the time because the days are evil.” 

We are also instructed:  “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”

As our LORD HIMSELF+ has said, “  I+ must work the works of HIM that sent ME+, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

There is simply no better time to witness at large than during the Christmas season. 

A plate of goodies accompanied by JESUS tracts and  a wonderful cd from Voice of the Martys , JESUS, HE+ Lived Among us,  goes into hearts, homes, and businesses of our acquaintances during Christmas …. because they will accept the witness at that time.

Statistics bear out the fact that there are more suicides and depression at this season of the year than at any other time.  Is not it better to issue HOPE to the ones who would be drowning their sorrows in the bottle or drowning their bodies in the sea, out of despair?

Would it not be better to utilize this season of raw emotion to point them how to come OUT of the sea of lies ? 

What better time to issue the Royal Invitation that there IS INDEED ONE+ Who+ loves you, ONE+ Who+ cares that you are lonely and hurting, ONE+ Who+ will make a “home” for you ?

 

We have been able to place JESUS-tracts inside some very dark homes and hearts by this method, all places that would not normally receive an open witness. Children are especially open to the Gospel message at this season and the elderly are always touched by an act of kindness.

One church we know of urges its congregation to do UNEXPECTED acts of kindness during this INCARNATION Season, as they go about their errands. So they do things such as buy lunch for the fellow behind them in the fast-food drive-in, on a work day, IN THE NAME OF CHRIST JESUS.   

How effective that is ! The fast-food worker receives the witness as well as the unknown stranger in the car behind ! 

So, in all this,  do we promote "keeping of Christmas" and its traditions to the un-saved ? 

NO.. by all means, NO !  

We pick JESUS-tracts that talk about repentance, the need to be saved, the dead-end street of following sin, flesh, and the devil. These tracts invite the readers to JESUS. 

Ourselves, we consent to remember only one thing:  His+ Coming, His+ INCARNATION.  

Because...  if our LORD JESUS had not humbled HIMSELF+ to be robed in human flesh and come in the likeness of man, not ONE of us human beings could have been saved. HE+ had to come! 

Even the serious Christmas hymns, like Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and O Come, All ye Faithful, and some others, give the Gospel message in a nutshell. 

This we all know and agree with, I’m sure.

Scripture only gives us a peek at the season in which HE+ came: at the time of Roman taxation after the fall harvest of crops. 

Shepherds were still in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. It seems reasonable to think SOMETHING happened in the last month of the year, either the Conception of the HOLY BABE+ or HIS+ Birth. 

The exact date, however, is ... ALTHOUGH PRECISE ... is not necessary for us to know.    

We agree that The LORD is precise as to the prophetic timing of His+ breaking into human history as the SON+ of Man, but HE has not deemed it necessary to inform us of that precise time, like HE did with the certainty of PASCHA / Resurrection .

In addition, it certainly is in keeping with Scriptures to offer adoration of the CHRIST at His+ birth: the Holy Angels of GOD did it, proclaiming loudly to the shepherds; the shepherds themselves did, hastening to the stable to look with  awe upon their MESSIAH come in the flesh. 

Even up to child-hood, we see the Wise men from the East who not only came to worship the young child JESUS, KING+ of the Jews …  but also offered HIM+ gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, as we all well know.

Because we --- from a distance of 2,000 years away from HIS+ first Advent ---  are so far removed from the actual event, it can be FRUITFUL in CHRIST to offer HIM+ our adoration in awe of what HE+ did, coming as a helpless Baby into this hurtful world. 

It seems fitting, during this season, to offer HIM+ thanksgiving for descending to take on the robe  of Adamic flesh. There is NO OTHER remembrance of the INCARNATION of CHRIST become flesh in the Christian calendar.

It is a blessed season to use 

our gold, frankincense,and myrrh as GIFTS 

for those who do not know HIM+, 

that they might be drawn 

to this HUMBLE JESUS 

Whom+ we love and serve.

Now, I will not argue with anyone either for or against “keeping” Christmas: let every man walk in his convictions in this matter, for whatsoever is not of faith is SIN.

As it is written:

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike.

Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the LORD; 

and he that regardeth not the day, to the LORD he doth not regard it. 

He that eateth, eateth to the LORD, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the LORD he eateth not, and giveth GOD thanks

This is simply to share with you how we redeem the time, how we share CHRIST and HIM+ crucified, in season and out. 

Yes, the satan has snatched the INCARNATION of CHRIST away from its rightful owners and drowned it in worldliness.  

Are we able to look above

the tawdry and mundane worldly celebrations 

and snatch the MOMENT… 

redeeming the time, 

because the days are evil… 

and darkness is coming, 

in which NO MAN can work?